


Hocus Pocus

by Juiliet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Body Modification, Gen, Kidnapping, Once Upon A Paladin, Potions, Witchcraft, background ulaz/thace, but idk what yet, cat shiro, do i tag 'soul sucking' or is that asking for a vore joke in my comments, hocus pocus au, i just enjoy lance trying to impress people and failing miserably, teacher allura, well shiro turns into a cat so i mean, witch Haggar - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 22:32:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12443184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juiliet/pseuds/Juiliet
Summary: On October 31st, 1693, the town of Salem hung the witch Haggar for the death of Katherine Holt and the mysterious disappearance of Takashi Shirogane, but just before she died, the witch cursed the town. On a halloween night some time in the future, a virgin would recite the verse from her book and light the candle and thus summon her soul back from the grave. Perhaps that curse explains why a mysterious 3 legged cat stalks the perimeter of the witch's cottage, warding off anyone who would bring the witch back.To Lance, newcomer to the town, this is nothing but complete and utter bullshit and he's going to prove it to everyone, especially that mullet head Keith Kogane who can't seem to shut up about it, tonight by marching himself right up to that cottage and fufilling the prophecy, but all he ends up doing is proving that, no, almost making out with a girl behind the recreational soccer bleachers in the tenth grade does not consitute as losing your virgin.Let's just hope he can figure out how to stop the witch from sucking the soul out of every child in Salem without making a total ass out of himself... but something tells him it's way too late for that.Written for the Once Upon a Paladin Event!





	Hocus Pocus

**Author's Note:**

> this story is written for the Once Upon a Paladin event! if you're interested in participating or wanna like... boost it (please do im DESPERATE) visit it at onceuponapaladin.tumblr.com  
> please send appreciation to me at lancestellations on tumblr or better yet leave comments bc thats how i know people like it  
> i originally wrote this to be a klance fic, but then i... wanted to do latte... but then when i was trying to make the switch i realized i couldn't. i decided to NOT force everyone to read a forced reltionship, and have made this klance again, but i'm gonna write a second cryptid piece for latte and... i think you'll like it <3

Takashi had never been a light sleeper, no, sometimes his adopted brother would have to pour water on him to rouse from the warmth of his bed covers, especially in colder months. Water never dried easily from his thick sheets, and when Takashi had the nerve to complain about his freezing sheets, Matt would simply tell him that he should have gotten up on time. Katie would say Takashi was lucky to even be living with the Holts. 

“Katherine!” Samuel Holt would scold as the girl giggled, grabbing the pail of corn kernels and dashing out to feed the chickens. “That girl… I can only pray the Lord calms her tongue. You are more than welcome here.”

Takashi smiled weakly and turned away to arrange his soaked sheets in front of the fire in a vain hope that they would dry before nightfall. 

Samuel Holt could reassure Takashi as much as he wanted to that he was welcome and even wanted in their home, but nothing he could say could change the fact that the youngest member of the Holt family was correct: He really was lucky to have been allowed to stay with the Holts. There are not many who take in a washed up sailor, much less one as foreign as Takashi Shirogane, but despite the fact that nobody in the town of Salem shared his appearance, or first language, or customs, they had. The Holts were the kindest people Takashi knew, they gave him a home, food, care, and family, and he didn’t even have two arms to pay them back for it. Hell, half the time he couldn’t wake up early enough to do what few morning chores he could do. 

But that night Takashi was restless. He wasn’t sure why as there were very few nights he didn’t drop off immediately. That night though he had tossed and turned for hours before drifting into a fitful doze, only to be awoken shortly after by some sound. The worst part was that as he lay there, staring out the small crack of window his curtains showed (Matt could not sleep unless the curtains were drawn as close as possible), he couldn’t even remember what sound had awoken him in the first place. Maybe he had imagined it, or maybe it had been something in his dream. He was just about to roll over and try to fall back asleep, when another noise caught his attention: the creak of the old floorboards. 

His mind went immediately to thieves. Winter was fast approaching and the harvest this year had not been kind to everyone. Could one of the villagers be trying to steal some of the Holt’s own produce? But no, none of the villagers would dare. The only thieves were foreigners or nomadic minstrels, who felt no remorse towards killing anyone who stood in their way, which only meant the family was in more danger. 

He carefully got up out of bed and crept to the door, pushing it open slowly so its rusty hinges wouldn’t alarm the intruder. As the door swung open it revealed an empty hallway lit only by the moonlight streaming in through the window. Takashi waited for a moment before shaking his head. Perhaps he really had imagined the noises, or maybe it was just the wind pressing against a loose pane, or a rat scampering in the walls. 

Takashi let out a sigh of relief and was just about to turn back to his shared room with Matt when he saw that the door to Katie’s room was cracked open. Katie Holt valued privacy above God Himself and scarcely allowed anyone into her room unless Hell was legitimately freezing over. She would have never slept with her door even slightly cracked… but… No. It was late, maybe she hadn’t closed it all the way before falling asleep. There was no reason to disturb her over nothing. Yet the more he stared at the door the more suspicion gnawed at his resolve. It wouldn’t hurt to check, right? 

He stepped forward and gave the door a light push to reveal the room. Nothing appeared to be out of place from the few times he had caught glimpses of it. Of course there wasn’t, he had been foolish to even allow such a concept to-

Her bed was empty. 

Takashi rushed forward as he realized Katherine Holt’s bed was made perfectly, corners tight and crisp, just how her mother demanded her to do it every morning. He rushed forward and threw the bed covers back to reveal nothing but bare sheets. He pressed his hand into the mattress and felt that it was still warm, she must have only left just moments before. He must have been hearing her footsteps against the wooden floor. Just then, he heard the slamming of their garden gate. He looked out the window to see a flash of a lavender tinted night dress-Katie’s night dress-as she ran towards the woods. 

“Matthew!” He called as he ran into their room. “Matthew, wake up!”

“Mmmph,” Matthew groaned, pulling the covers over his head. “It’s not morning…” 

“Matthew, you need to get up,” Takashi urged him, yanking the covers down. “It’s Katie!”

“Katie what?” He asked, his voice foggy with sleep. 

“She’s gone,” He said, pulling Matthew up out of bed. “I saw her leave through the garden gate we need to hurry!”

That seemed to grab his attention.

“What do you mean?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

“I heard a noise and went to investigate.” He explained breathless, throwing a pair of shoes at Matthew. “She wasn’t in her bed and when I looked out the window I saw her. Matthew I’m not lying, we have to stop her.”

“Okay! I believe you!” Matthew huffed and hastily pulled on boots. “It sounds just like her to go out at midnight to try to catch some mythical beast, especially with Hallow’s Eve so close. Should we wake my parents?”

Takashi stopped for a moment to consider this, then shook his head. They’d already wasted too much time. They couldn’t risk waiting any longer and losing her completely. 

Matt held the lantern as Takashi lit the candle with one of the smouldering embers that had lingered in their hearth, and then the pair were off, dashing towards the woods in the direction Takashi had seen Katie go. Takashi was glad Matt had convinced him to take a few moments to light a lantern because the leaves were thick enough to blot out any moonlight. The forest was virgin timber and

“Why did she run off?” Matt asked as he lept over a fallen branch. 

“I don’t know,” Takashi huffed out. “But we need to get her back to safety before she runs into something nasty.”

It wasn’t the first time Katie had disappeared on them. She had a history of chasing after mythical creatures she read about in books or heard from local legends. Once she’d been convinced she was seeing fairies flitting about their flower garden. She spent an entire week sitting in that garden and neglecting her household chores until her father finally caught up with her. She kept sneaking off every chance she got until the fairies were revealed to be dragonflies. Takashi tried not to think about how sad she’d been when she realized the truth. 

But that had just been skipping out on day time activities. For all her adventurous spirit and impish curiosity, she’d never done anything as foolhardy as this. For one, Samuel Holt will tan her hide in front of the entire town of Salem, and for another she knew it was dangerous to go out alone into the woods, especially at night. There were plenty of stories of full grown men entering that forest and never being seen alive. Plenty more of the terrors that lay in the deep, legends of witch whose victims screamed out in the dead of night and then suddenly, would quiet, last echoes of fear cut off far before they were meant to. 

But those were just stories, old wives tales to keep children out of dangerous places, right? He gripped the hem of his cloak tightly. For Katie’s sake, it must be just that.

“Katie!” Matthew called out. “I see her!” 

Takashi looked ahead, and sure enough caught a flash of lavender fabric through the few cracks of visibility the branches gave them. They rushed ahead in the vain hope that maybe they could catch her before it was too late. Her frame was growing larger as she was beginning to slow down. She’d probably exhausted herself in the journey over here, not used to running so far for so long. 

“Takashi, stop.” Matt hissed, holding out a hand. “Do you hear that?”

Takashi was about to open his mouth to remind Matt that his sister was still moving when he did hear something. It sounded like singing. It was a woman’s voice, high and sweet, floating high above the trees and wrapping the withering leaves in soft melody. At first he had thought it must be the wind whistling through the branches and hollowed stumps, but no, as he focused a little more, he could hear it. 

 

_ Come little children I’ll take thee away _

_ Into a land of enchantment. _

_ Come little children, the time's come to play, _

_ Here in my garden of magic.  _

 

And then, they saw it.

The cottage seemed to swirl into view before them, though it must have been there all along. It was small in stature, no bigger than any of the houses in town, though it looked years older. For one it wasn’t well kept. One of the upstairs shutters was hanging from one hinge and threatened to blow away at the next breath of wind. Ivy had overtaken the old rotting wood, climbing up the walls and encroaching onto the roof. One of the windows was cracked, another appeared to be completely shattered, not that it seemed to matter to whoever lived there, if anyone did at all. 

Takashi wasn’t sure how he had never heard of such a house existing in the woods. He may not have been born on this soil, but he had been around long enough to have heard most of the local lore and legends, and the only one that had a house in the woods was-

“The witch Haggar,” Matthew breathed. 

“Those are but a child’s playground tale,” Takashi whispered. “There is a perfectly logical explanation to this beyond any such foolishness.”

“But look!” Matt said, pointing to the chimney which was the only thing that gave any proof to the idea that anyone had ever lived there. The smoke was gray and thick, and every few moments the soot blackened brick would cough up purple sparks. They crackled up into the sky for a brief second before fading into the black night like sparks from the blacksmith’s heated metals. 

“It is only the devil’s trickery, yes?” Takashi said sternly, though he could feel suspicion simmering low in his stomach. “Your father would whip you for any suggestion otherwise.”

“Yes,” Matthew nodded, swallowing quickly. 

“Good,” Takashi nodded, forcing himself to gather his own strength. “Now, we must get Katie before she…”   
His voice trailed off as Katie skipped up the cracked crumbling stone steps and opened the door to the cottage. As she did a flash of purple was briefly allowed to flicker out into the world before it was once again sealed off by the slamming of the moldering cottage door. 

Both men stood there for a moment, stunned into silence. Katherine Holt did not parade into the homes of strangers. Katherine Holt did not even like strangers. Just like week she’d been punished for hissing at the minister’s wife in  _ public  _ for trying to pat her head. She barely let her own parents touch her, let alone anyone else. Even Shiro had never dared try, using his fondness of his remaining hand as an excuse. She did not trust anyone she did not live with. There was no way she would willingly enter the house of a stranger unless…

“She must have been lured here,” Takashi decided. “Matthew, get your parents, get the elders, get everyone. Go!”

Matthew nodded and scrambled back in the direction from which they came as fast as he could. Once he was safely out of sight, Takashi focused his attention to the looming structure ahead of him. He wasn’t sure what lay inside, he only knew that it was his duty to save Katie. 

He made his footsteps light so not to crunch the withered leaves that autumn had banished to the forest floor. He crept over to the largest open window, keeping himself as close to the wall as he could. He couldn’t risk being seen in case she really had been lured there, but he desperately needed to see inside, to make sure Katie was okay. Slowly, he leaned over to allow himself barely a glimpse into the room, praying to whatever higher power was listening to hide him. 

Despite the blazing fire and dozens of lit candles, the room was still dreadfully dim, but at least he knew the source of the purple sparks. Perhaps he would be able to see more had the fire been orange and yellow, but instead it was a deep purple, richer than the finest fabrics for sale in the village. Takashi had always liked purple, it was such a calming color for him, but this hue was sinister, evil almost. Even the tiniest of flickering flames seemed to sneer at him as they licked away at the candle wick and wax.

Their eerie glow cast a purple veil over the spines of the ancient books that rested quietly on their shelves, their titles written in neither English nor Japanese, or any language Takashi had ever encountered. He’d seen the odd letters of the arabians, french, norse and other countries in his life, but never this one. 

But he hadn’t come here to examine the binding of books.

Carefully he leaned forward, giving himself a greater view of the room.

If the purple fire and the seeing books hadn’t confirmed Matthew (and now Takashi’s) fears that he was messing with witchcraft, the large cauldron in the center of the room did. It must have been cast iron, the dull metal giving off a weak sheen in the purple light. It was so large that its diameter easily had an extra 5 or 6 inches on the Holt’s kitchen table. Some odd steam was rising up from whatever contents it held- something foul no doubt- as a large wooden spoon swirled slowly around the rim manipulated by an unseen force. 

Takashi did not have time to awe at the very fact that witchcraft was  _ real _ , because just as he recovered from the shock of the cauldron and purple fire his brain was sent reeling again by the sight of Katie sitting serenely in a chair, gazing around quietly. 

She didn’t appear to be injured, that was the important part, but she also didn’t seem phased by the fire, or the cauldron. Was she drugged? Perhaps, but the only substances he knew were around was opium, but that was kept under lock and key by the town’s doctor: Samuel Holt. Samuel Holt went to great pains to keep the rest of the town safe from opium addiction. Besides, Takashi had experienced opium’s effects first hand, and he doubted that if Katie had been given it she would be able to seem so alert. 

He decided that if she wasn’t able to function properly he would have to carry her out. It would be the fastest way to move over the wooded terrain anyways. He just hoped he would be able to get her out of here quietly. 

As gently as he could he lifted himself onto the ledge using his hand. He swung his legs over and stood up gently on the floor. Everything was 

Takashi nearly let out a yelp of surprise, barely stifling it with his hand. His sharp intake of breath seemed to startle the other books, a few more opening their eyes and glaring at him. Most merely shuddered softly and then their… eye closed again, but one kept staring at him, narrowing into a displeased slit. Takashi stared back, holding his breath in anticipation, but nothing else happened. It appeared all the book could do was watch him. He let out a soft sigh. It was a very odd thing to be relieved about, but at this point he’d take it. 

He wished his heart to calm as he took a proper look around the room. He was positive that aside from Katie he was entirely alone. 

“Katie?” He whispered. 

Katie kept staring in the opposite direction, eyes fixed on something Takashi couldn’t see. She didn’t even react to his voice. 

“Katherine?” He tried, fear creeping up his stomach. 

Nothing. 

“Pidge?” He called, a little louder, using a childhood nickname Matt teased her with.

This time she seemed to stir, blinking. She turned her head towards Takashi and frowned slightly. 

“Shiro?” She breathed out her own nickname for him. “Why are you…”

But whatever she was going to ask died as the voice from earlier piped up again, singing its sweet song again. 

 

_ Come little children I’ll take thee away _

_ Into a land of enchantment. _

_ Come little children, the time's come to play, _

_ Here in my garden of magic.  _

 

Katie’s eyes glazed over immediately, and Takashi seemed to finally understand. It wasn’t any drug, but an enchantment. 

He did not have time to dwell on it any longer as he heard slow footsteps approaching him. He searched for a hiding place and briefly considered throwing himself out the window before spying a ladder that led up to an old, empty hay loft. As quickly as he could, he scampered up the ladder and buried himself up in the loft just as a hooded figure came into view. He pressed his eyes to peer through a small hole in the wood, straining to find her figure again. 

From what he could see of her face, she was either a very old woman or a very stressed one. Wrinkles lined every feature and skin drooped down past her jaw bone. He caught a glimmer of white hair, almost silver, and odd markings under her eyes. It was then that Takashi knew that the legends of the witch Haggar were true, and the witch herself was standing right in front of him. 

She approached the bookshelf that had stared at Takashi only moments before, a gnarled finger stroked along the spines of the books before stopping at the one whose eye was still open. 

“My love,” She murmured, her voice as old as her appearance. “Already awake? That is most unusual…”

Takashi was pretty sure he felt his heart stop as she turned her head and gazed out the window and then whipped her head up to the hay loft. He had ducked down, but almost swore he could feel her eyes on him through the wooden half wall. 

“Maybe a bat of the night,” She mused quietly. “Nothing to worry about, my sweet book.”

It was only when he heard her footsteps walking away from him that he dared peek out into the room again. 

The woman was carrying the book towards the cauldron, stroking the leather cover with her hands in a gentle loving way. The book’s eyes seemed to droop in pleasure, seeming to vibrate happily in response to the witch’s touch. Takashi felt a little sickened at the sight, but he couldn’t pin down why. 

“I wouldn’t want anyone to disturb tonight’s festivities,” The witch continued, resting the book down on a book stand. “Tis a most tremendous day indeed. Tell me book, have you met our guest of honor.”

She gestured to where Katie sat in the chair. 

“Yes,” Haggar said, letting her hood fall away to reveal her age twisted face. Her thin lips curled up into a malicious smile, revealing a flash of yellowed teeth. “Do you know why tonight is so special?”

She held out her hand to stop the stirring of the bubbling cauldron. She withdraw the spoon and inserted a ladle in its place, drawing up a spoonful of potion. 

“Because tonight, when this wretch drinks this potion.” She snickered, placing a withered hand beneath the spoon to prevent any of its precious contents from spilling out onto the floor. “I will gain my immortality once and for all.”

She raised the ladle up towards Katie and Takashi was forced to act.

“No!” He shouted, sitting up and half jumping down the ladder. He landed on the floor with a loud thump. “Don’t drink it Katie!”

The witch whipped around to face him. Her face changed from one of bewilderment to a snarl instantly. 

“I thought I smelled something foul, but not as foul as this one,” She hissed, resting her ladle on the cauldron’s rim and jerking a thumb at Katie. “But you are not as young as her, your stench has faded some, but there is something distinctly odd about it. You were not raised in the village, were you? Where do you hail from”

“I am under no obligation to answer to you, witch.” Takashi said firmly. His voice displayed more confidence than he certainly felt in the moment. Had he not locked his knees after standing up straight he was almost positive they would be shaking beneath him. “And as far as I can tell, you hail from Hell.”

“In a manner of speaking, you could say so and it would be true.” She replied, sneering at him and raising a gnarled hand. “And I suppose you are under no obligation answer my inquiries, after all, it does not matter where someone is from, only where they are buried.”

Takashi did not have time to react before lightning flashed from Haggar’s fingertips hitting him in the center of his chest. Pain sparked, shooting all over his body as he was flung back by some unknown force. There had barely been time for him to cry out in shock and pain. He smacked against the bookshelf, several books falling out. Some fell like normal books, lying still and pages fluttering briefly, but others flapped their covers and  _ flew  _ to another shelf while other scuttled on their covers away from Takashi, taking shelter under tables and in dark corners. 

Takashi let out a soft swear in his native language, pressing a hand to his side. 

“So you are a foreigner,” Haggar mused, sparks of energy flitting around the tips of her jagged nails. “From the far east if I am not mistaken. My, aren’t you a long way from home.”

Takashi gritted his teeth. He summoned his courage and got to a squatting position, legs still unsteady from their recent shock. He was being played with, like a cat would a mouse. He did not want to be made a toy for her to discard so easily, but if would buy Katie time…

“And I see you’re a cripple too,” She continued, raking her yellow eyes over his stump. “Cauterized from the looks of it, so is it safe to assume you were not born deformed.”

“... No, I was born with both arms.” He confirmed through gritted teeth. He pressed his hand against the ledges of the bookshelf and tried to pull himself upright again, but just as he managed to right himself she shot him with another shock of lightning that forced him back to the floor, head slamming hard enough against the wood to make his world spin before his eyes. 

“Even with one arm I can see that you are strong,” She growled. “And clearly not as unintelligent as other mortals I have encountered. It would be unwise for me to take you one in physical combat, for as you can see I am but a poor spinster.”

“You’re a witch,” He spat, chest heaving and head swimming. “You aren’t... a spinster, you aren’t even human.”

“Your definition of human is much too crude.” Haggar snarled. “I talk, and walk, and feel, and think just like you, and I do not take kindly to the term ‘witch’.”

Her fingers sparked again and that was all Takashi saw before his whole body exploded in blinding pain. It surged from his skin to his bones in a hot fire drilling deep into him. He couldn’t think, or breathe, or feel anything except the searing shock that was his very being. No human could ever experience this and survive, he was certain of that. Even now he could feel the aftershocks coursing through him, sticking pins in his nerves and burning his skin. He could feel his limbs twitching involuntarily and vaguely remembered Mr. Holt saying that dead bodies often made such movements as the brain tried to restart itself. Yes, he must be dead… he had failed Katie. 

“Oh dear,” Haggar purred in mock concern. 

Takashi’s eyes snapped open in shock. So… he wasn’t dead, but how…?

“I must have overdone it.” She sighed. He could hear her footsteps drawing closer as she approached to inspect her cursed handiwork. He willed himself to stay limp and loose as she leaned down over him. She took his chin in her hand and turned it to face him. 

He barely resisted the urge to flinch back. 

“His hair has started to turn white,” She murmured, running her fingers through the longest part of Takashi’s hair. As it fell from her fingers in front of his eyes he barely suppressed a yelp of surprise because she was right. His forelock was now completely white. “I haven’t used that in so long, I must have overdone it, but it is no loss. I did not need an audience for this any way.”

Takashi forced himself to remain completely still as she walked back to her cauldron, cloak swishing in time to her steps. She kept her back towards him as she crossed over to a large trunk in the opposite corner of the room. She bent over slowly, the trunk opened with a loud click.

“His arrival has compromised the potion. I must counter any potential over burn or risk being made grunge and rueful for the rest of eternity!” She cackled at the thought. Her laughter was abrasive to Takashi’s ears, creating dissonance with something inside him.

Dr. Holt had once asked Takashi what evil sounded like. At the time he hadn’t been able to answer him, after all there were so many evil things that made noise, how could he pick one? When he told Samuel this, the doctor had simply laughed. 

_ “A bear mauls the innocent, but is its roar inherently evil?”  _ He had said, to which Takashi had only shook his head.  _ “Correct, a bear is just an animal, and its roar does not always mean it has come to kill. Plenty of bears roar to warn their cubs or signal to others. There is no sound, behavior, or origin that makes a person or thing inherently evil because all things in this world are good. Everything is made in His goodness and love, it is only the free will he bestowed on us that makes our actions good or bad, but all people and things are inherently good and have value. That is why I treat every patient with all the kindness I have. I treat the whore as I would any lord.” _

As a young man reveling in the attention bestowed on him by someone who shouldn't have even looked his way, but it was an important and one he took with him wherever he went. 

But he’d make an exception: there was no way Haggar had ever been inherently good. 

“Bubbling boils and a dead man’s toes, two ingredients I have not worked with in over two hundred years,” She rasped, her hands waving over the open trunk. Two jars flew up into her open hands. She raised their labels up to a candle to read them carefully before making her way back to the cauldron. “These are nearing their expiration date. Book, please remind me to cut the toes off the next petty criminal they hang in the village. It shouldn’t be long now, the town of Salem is unforgiving at worst, merciless at best.”

She worked the jars open, grunting a little as the cap resisted her hands tug and twist at first, but finally gave way with a soft popping sound. She plucked a shriveled thing from the jar and held it up over the cauldron. Now Takashi was very glad he couldn’t see the object properly. He doubted very much that nearly expired ‘dead man’s toes’ and bubbling boils were anything worth seeing.

She dropped the ingredients into the brewing potion. They hissed as they hit the surface, cracking and sizzling as if they had been thrown into a fire instead. Haggar’s lips curled back up into a cruel smile.

“It’s perfect now,” She announced, giving it a few stirs with the ladle before pulling up the spoon once more. “Now, finally I will have my youth. Open up my dear.”

As she turned away from him Talashi realized it was now or never. He surged up and charged at the cauldron, seizing the rim with his hand shoving his end upward. Years of learning how to chop wood single handedly, provided him with the strength he needed to tip the cauldron and spill the potion all over the witch. He ignored the searing pain of his burning hands, adrenaline pumping through him. 

The witch screamed as the bubbling potion spilled all over the floor. She scrambled away, shrieking in a mix of pain and fury.  

Under the cover of confusion. Takashi dashed over to where Katie sat in. He lifted her head to examine her. He hadn’t had the best view from the cauldron, so he didn’t see if she had drank any of the potion. She did not look any different, so he prayed she hadn’t. 

“No!” Haggar roared, shooting him backwards again. He slammed down into the ground. “You should have died! I have killed men much bigger than you with even half my power that I used!”

Takashi struggled to get up, but his body felt drained from that list hit. 

“Katie…” He managed. 

“She can’t hear you,” Haggar sneered, kneeling down in front of the chair until she was eye-level with Katie, clutching her face in her gnarled fingers. “You’re far too late.” 

White smoke drifted out from Katie’s mouth. It floated from Katie’s open mouth into Haggar’s. Suddenly, Katie slumped down, the life literally sucked out of her. 

As Haggar exhaled something began changing in her face. The deep set wrinkles and lines began to smooth out, skin tightening once again. Her lips became rejuvenated, plump and firm instead of shriveled. The bags under her eyes shrank away and fell back into their once youthful state. The rest of her body seemed to fall back in time as well, hands becoming soft and supple, no longer shaking but keep and firm hold. 

“No…” Takashi whispered as he realized it was too late, he had failed Katie Holt, her brother, her parents. 

“Yes,” Haggar cackled. “And now that I am young and beautiful again, I can finally deal with you for once and for all.”

“You’re wrong,” Takashi spat, courage flooding him several minutes too late. “All the children in Salem could never make you beautiful.”

“I was going to be merciful and kill you,” She snarled. “But for that comment you will pay. I curse you to live forever with your sins, in a form no one will recognize you as. May you roam the Earth as castaway as you should have always been, Takashi Shirogane.”

She raised her hand once more and Takashi shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for whatever came next, but he didn’t have to, because the next second he felt all the air forced from his lungs as he blacked out. 

**Author's Note:**

> jsrsyudrjdtjgskdy FUCK ME UP  
> check me out @lancetellations on tumblr. i used to be ilovechickensofttacos lmao new name same great taste (first person to make a vore joke loses) also leave comments bc thats really the only reason i do this is for comments lets be honest


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